Acheron (Dark-Hunter #14)

Acheron (Dark-Hunter #14) Page 14

Acheron's heart bled for his sister as he saw the tears begin to flow down her face. He pulled her into his arms. "You're not a whore, Ryssa."

"Am I not? Tell me, what's the difference between us?"

"You are loved and claimed by the one who takes you to his bed. Believe me, that's a big difference."

No, his sister was kind and gently born. She was a lady. Styxx was an ass. And the only shit in the family was clearly Acheron.

June 23, 9528 BC

"Happy birthday, Acheron."

Acheron rolled over at the sound of Ryssa's voice. Sore from a night spent with Artemis, he was slightly disoriented. He'd gone to bed on Olympus, but at some point Artemis must have returned him to his own room.

"Good morning, sister." She looked particularly radiant today. Her blond hair was swept up around her head in small braids that were held in place by the silver set of combs he'd bought for her a few weeks back when they'd gone to the market together. The light blue gown she wore made her eyes shine bright as she placed her hand against her stomach. Her pregnancy was just starting to show.

"Get up and dress. I had the cook prepare you a special breakfast celebration for just the two of us. The meal's already being brought out."

He looked past her, but saw nothing. "Where is it?"

"Downstairs."

Acheron shook his head. "I'm not allowed to eat in the dining room. You know that."

She waved his words away. "Father was up late with Styxx. They won't awaken for hours. I want to give this bit of normality to you, little brother. You deserve it. Now dress quickly and join me."

Acheron really didn't want to do this. In truth, he hated venturing into the lower rooms where his family had made it clear he wasn't welcome. But Ryssa had gone to trouble for him. The least he could do was humor her.

Leaving his bed, he dressed quickly and joined her in the hallway. She wrapped her arm around his and smiled. "This is the first time we've celebrated the anniversary of your birth together. You're now twenty and next year you'll reach your majority."

As if that would make a difference to him. "Is there a party planned for Styxx?"

She looked away with a troubled expression. "Yes. Tonight as there is every year."

"Then I shall make myself scarce."

The look in her eyes mirrored the grief he felt inside. But they both knew he would be as welcome at the party as a plague of frog turds. Without another word, she took him to the dining room where she'd laid out a grand buffet.

"I wasn't sure what you'd like so I had them prepare a little of everything." She picked up a platter and handed it to him before she kissed his cheek. "Happy birthday, little brother."

Nothing could have touched him more. "Thank you."

He followed her down the line as she explained the various dishes to him.

As Acheron reached for a piece of fruit, she took his hand and laughed. "We don't eat that. They're decoration." She thumped it with her hand. "See, it's plaster."

They laughed together at his ignorance.

"Oh, it does a father good to hear his children laughing with one another."

Acheron froze at the sound of their father entering the room behind him. Cold dread seeped through his entire being.

Ryssa covered her panic with a dazzling smile. "Good morning, Father. I was told you'd sleep late today."

"Too much to do in preparation of Styxx's celebration." He clapped an affectionate hand on Acheron's shoulder before he kissed his cheek.

Both savoring and cursing the embrace, Acheron closed his eyes and held his breath. His silver eyes would betray him. They always betrayed him.

"I'm surprised to see you up, scamp. I heard you'd taken three women to your bed last night. They pleasured you well, I trust."

Ryssa cleared her throat. "Father, could I have a word with you outside?"

"Absolutely."

Acheron let out a tiny breath in relief as his father stepped away from him. He set his plate down and took a step toward the door when the unthinkable happened.

Styxx entered the room with one of his friends. "What is this? What are you doing here?"

Their father turned back and cursed before he glared at Ryssa. "You deceived me?"

"Not exactly."

Rage contorted his face as he crossed the short distance and slapped Acheron so hard it unbalanced him. He fell to the floor, dazed by the blow that loosened his front teeth and shattered his nose.

"You dared defile my table!"

Ryssa stepped forward. "Father, please! I'm the one who brought him here. It was my idea."

Her turned on her with malice. "Don't you dare defend him. He knows better." He snatched Acheron up by his hair and shoved him against the wall. "I want everything he's touched burned. Now!" he roared at the servants. "And throw out all the food."

Acheron laughed. "It must really chafe your ass that you can't be rid of me so easily."

His father punched him hard in the stomach.

"Father, please," Styxx begged. "Remember your heart."

His father slung Acheron sideways, tearing out a handful of hair as he did so. "Get this filth out of my sight."

"Guards!" Styxx roared. "Take the bastard out and beat him."

Acheron straightened before he approached his twin. "Tell me something, brother. What angers you most about me? The fact I share your face or the fact I know exactly what your best friend wants to do to you . . . and how often?" He slid his gaze meaningfully to the man behind Styxx who looked away red-faced. Acheron smiled at him. "Good to see you again, Lord Dorus, especially clothed."

Styxx let out a shriek of pain an instant before he ran at Acheron who tried to defend himself. But it was useless. His brother spent hours a day training to be a fighter. The best he could do was cover his head and try to protect his face. Styxx rained blow after blow on his ribs until the guards finally pulled him off.

"I want him to feel every lash!"

Acheron spat blood at Styxx's feet. "Happy birthday to you too."

His ears clear of his pounding blood and Styxx's curses, he finally heard his sister's sobs as she begged their father for a mercy the king had no intention of giving.

One guard clenched his fist deep in Acheron's hair, then shoved him out of the room toward the courtyard that he knew intimately. They should just move his bed out here and save them all the effort.

Acheron ground his teeth as his hands were tied and his clothes stripped from his body. He cursed the gods after the first lash cut through the skin on his back. Damn them for this. It was bad enough they'd abandoned him, but by condemning him to have the ability to heal most wounds, it made his punishments all the worse. Instead of scar tissue forming a barrier for his abuse, new skin grew each time, which meant they were striking virgin flesh with every beating.

And it hurt . . .

He lost track of the lashes as he tried to focus on anything else. His sweat mixed with the blood pouring from the wounds on his face making them burn all the worse. Still they beat him.

"Enough."

Acheron frowned through the haze of pain as he recognized Styxx's voice. His breathing ragged, he couldn't fathom why Styxx would stop the punishment he'd called for.

Not until his brother came around so that they were eye to eye. The hatred in Styxx's gaze was piercing. "Leave us," he ordered the guards.

Acheron heard the door close. He opened his mouth to taunt his brother but before he could, Styxx slammed an iron bar across his ribs with enough force to lift him off his feet. All the breath rushed out of his lungs.

"You think you're so fucking clever," he sneered. "Let's see how clever you are now."

Styxx vanished out of his sight. He came back a moment later with a gleaming red poker. Panic set in. Acheron fought his restraints with every ounce of strength he had. But he was weakened by the beating and held down completely.

With a gleam of sadistic satisfaction, Styxx laid the poker across Acheron's face. Screaming, Acheron tried to move away, but all he could do was smell the burning of his flesh. Feel the deep, penetrating pain that washed over him.

Smiling, Styxx jerked it away and walked behind him again.

Hanging limply, Acheron could do nothing but cry from the agony of his face that continued to burn. When Styxx returned, he carried a fresh poker.

"Please, m-m-mercy," he begged. "Please don't . . . brother."

"We are not brothers, you bastard!" Styxx shouted before he laid the poker across Acheron's groin.

Acheron screamed out. Tears fell as he prayed for death to come and stop this torture.

"Where's your laughter now?" Styxx asked, tossing the poker aside. "Don't you ever mock me again, you fucking whore."

Acheron felt something cold and sharp pierce his side. Looking down, he saw the dagger in Styxx's hand that his brother had buried to the hilt. He tasted more blood in his mouth as he choked on it and the pain that seared him.

"Don't worry," Styxx said, jerking the dagger free. "You'll live." He brought the blade down across Acheron's unburned cheek, laying it open to the bone.

Styxx cut him down, then walked off without even a backward glance.

Acheron lay on the ground, his head swimming as unimaginable pain ripped through him. "Please gods," he whispered desperately. "Please let me die."

He expelled one deep breath and surrendered himself to the darkness.

Artemis was trying to be patient as she watched the offerings the humans brought to her altar. But they didn't interest her.

She hadn't seen Acheron in two days and this was the celebration of his birth-something she wouldn't have known had Apollo not told her about the party tonight. She didn't know why Acheron had failed to mention it, but then he was odd that way.

Apollo wasn't going to the party, but his pet was.

Which meant Artemis would be free to visit Acheron later.

Yet dutifully, she'd been at her temple all day long. The sun had set almost an hour ago and as the day turned to night, she was restless for it to end.

An old man came forward with a goat.

Oh, this was no use. What was she going to do with a goat? Snapping her fingers, she granted his wish even before she heard it.

She picked up the ring that she'd made for Acheron and left them where they were to keep making offerings she had no interest in. Unlike these other mewling, pathetic humans, her Acheron would please her.

Even when he didn't please her, he still did.

Smiling, she materialized on his balcony, expecting him to be at his usual perch.

It was empty. Frowning, she looked over the edge to see the nobles and dignitaries gathered for the festivities. Surely Acheron wasn't there. He didn't like such events.

Artemis stepped through the doors without opening them. Her frown melted as she saw Acheron already abed. Good. She could join him there.

But as she approached, she slowed her gait. His breathing was shallow and ragged. He lay with his back to her and as she drew closer, she saw the pink stains marring his sheets.

Blood. Acheron's blood.

It was so much more than she'd ever seen before.

Terrified, she moved around the bed to find him weeping soundlessly. But that wasn't what stunned her most. It was the sight of his beautiful face. Or what was left of it.

One side had a vicious gaping wound that exposed part of the bone and on the other was a burn that had left his eye partially closed, his flesh scorched and his mouth twisted.

"What happened?" she demanded as anger tore through her.

He didn't answer but the shame in his eyes, the pain, lacerated her heart. Kneeling on the floor, she laid her hand to his burned cheek.

"Kill me," he breathed. "Please."

That ragged plea brought tears to her eyes. Wanting to understand, she used her powers to see what had happened to him. As every scene of it played through her mind, her fury built.

How dare they do this to him!

She felt her teeth growing sharp as her need for vindication tripled.

Acheron screamed as Artemis healed his battered body. Whenever his injuries were bad, her cure was every bit as painful.

Once he was healed, Artemis gathered him into her arms and held him in a way no one had ever held him before-as though she cared. "I'm so sorry, Acheron. Why didn't you call for me?"

"You wouldn't have come."

"Yes, I would."

But he knew the truth. She'd never have risked being seen. "You're here now. That's enough for me."

She nodded as she brushed his hair back from his face. "And woe to those bastards for this. They won't do this to you and not suffer for it." Taking his hand, she pulled him from the bed.

When she started for the door, he froze. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to make them pay."

"How?"

She laughed evilly. "Trust me, love. You'll enjoy it."

The next thing he knew they were in the ballroom, unseen by the revelers. Artemis walked over to Styxx who stood beside his betrothed, laughing smugly with a group of his friends who were mocking an unattractive young woman in the corner. The woman had tears in her eyes as she tried to ignore their laughter and brutal comments.

Artemis leaned forward to whisper into Styxx's ear. "You want to see humiliation, you little prick? You're about to get a handfirst lesson on it."

One second Styxx was smiling. The next he was vomiting all over Nefertari and his friends. In fact, he vomited so forcefully that he lost control of his bladder and wet himself. When he tried to run, he tripped and fell into the mess.

Acheron looked away, as disgusted by it as everyone else.

But Artemis wasn't through. Raising her hand, she opened the double doors that led to the gardens. A pack of angry dogs ran inside and set upon Styxx with a vengeance.

Their father ran to his heir who was on the ground, crying for help.

Artemis gave Acheron a crooked grin before everyone at the party, except Ryssa and the woman who'd been teased, became ill. The guards tried to protect Styxx from the dogs an instant before they unloaded their stomachs all over their prince.

Crossing the distance between them, Artemis clapped her hands together in satisfaction. "I don't know about you," she said with an evil glint in her green eyes, "but I feel better." She looked around proudly. "They'll be fine by morning, but none of them will be out of their beds much tomorrow. As for Styxx, he will feel the effects of his cruelty for at least a week."

Acheron wished he could take pleasure in the pain around him, but he didn't. No one deserved what she'd done tonight any more than he deserved what Styxx had done to him.

She cocked her head. "Aren't you happy?"

Acheron glanced at the poor wretches around him. "Thank you for avenging me. It means a lot, Artie. Truly. But having been on the receiving end of cruelty my entire life, I don't take pleasure in harming others, so, no, it doesn't make me happy to see them like this. Especially those who've never done me harm."

"You're a fool not to. Believe me. They wouldn't be so kind to you."

In his experience, she was right. Even so, he just couldn't bring himself to laugh at the humiliation they suffered.

Artemis let out a sound of disgust. "You are such a strange human." She cupped his cheek in her hand. "I warn you now though, if he ever scars your face again I'll unleash an agony on him that he'll never recover from."

The anger and sincerity of her gaze scorched him. Only Ryssa had ever been indignant over his punishments. The fact that Artemis cared went a long way in erasing the anger he'd harbored against the goddess.

In truth, she'd kept her word and had done nothing to hurt him.

Don't trust her.

But his heart wanted to believe that on some level she loved him-that she cared.

She raised up to kiss him. The instant their lips touched, she took him to her temple. Acheron felt a strange fissure go through him.

"What the . . . ?"

Artemis's eyes were glowing bright. "I've given you the power to fight to protect yourself. You were right. I can't always be there when you need me. But-" she placed her fingertip on his lips. "You can't use those skills on a god, only a human."

"Why would I want to attack a god?"

Artemis leaned her head against his shoulder and inhaled his masculine scent. She adored the innocence inside him that couldn't even conceive of hurting her. "Some men do."

"Men do a lot of things I don't agree with."

"And that's why I've given you the powers you need. I don't want you hurt like that ever again."

Acheron tried to fight the swell of love inside him. But he couldn't. Not when she gave him so much. Not when she touched him like this and made him feel decent and wanted.

Artemis squeezed him tightly, then pulled back to hand him a small box.

"What's this?"

"My gift to celebrate your birth. Open it."

Stunned, he gaped at her. Honestly, he couldn't fathom what he held in his hands. "You're giving me a present?"

"Of course."

But it couldn't be that simple. Nothing ever was. "What payment do you want?"

She scowled at him. "I want no payment, Acheron. It's a gift."

Still he shook his head in denial. "Nothing is ever freely given."

She closed his hand around it and caressed his fingers. "This is freely given to you, akribos. And I wish to see you open it."

Truly, he couldn't fathom this. Why would Artemis give him a present?

His heart pounding, he opened the box to find a ring inside. Picking it up, he saw a double bow and arrow on it, but when he moved the ring, it shifted to an image of Artemis with a deer.

She smiled happily. "It's an insignia ring. I give them to my followers whom I grant the ability to summon me. Most of them have to find a tree and perform a ritual and say the right words. But you, my Acheron, you may summon me at any time."

When he started to put it on his finger, she stopped him. "It should be worn over your heart." A gold chain appeared and as Artemis placed it around his neck, another thought occurred to him. It wasn't just over his heart . . . worn like this the ring was also out of sight.

At least she thought enough of you to give you a gift.

That was true.

She kissed his cheek, then manifested a sword in her hand. Handing it to him, she winked. "Show me what you do."

"What do you mean?"

She inclined her head to two shadow warriors behind him. "Fight them, Acheron. Whatever you need to defeat them will be yours."

Skeptical, he stepped away from her. But the moment they approached, his body knew instinctively how to fight.

Artemis smiled in satisfaction as she watched Acheron spar with the shades. She'd done a good deed for her human. And as she watched, heat invaded every part of her. He moved like quicksilver. His muscles rippled and flexed, straining and defining with every blow he parried and delivered. Her hunger built and she wondered why his blood was so addictive . . . more so than even her brother's.

Why did she crave Acheron so?

Yet there was no denying his allure. Right now, she wanted to throw him on her bed and keep him there for the rest of eternity.

The smile he gave her as he finished off his sparring opponents made her melt.

"I told you," she said, approaching him.

Acheron held the sword in his fist with a confidence he'd never known outside of someone's bed. He couldn't believe that he finally knew how to fight as well as he knew how to use his body to please others. It was a heady concoction.

Power . . .

Grateful to Artemis, he tossed the sword aside and pulled her into his arms. Something strange rippled through him. It was like a part of him had been unleashed and it shook him to his foundations.

Artemis trembled as she saw his silver eyes flash red at the same time his lips turned black. It happened so fast that she wasn't sure she hadn't imagined it.

Then Acheron took possession of her mouth with a fury that was dizzying. She felt the power of him and it made her tremble. Her heart pounding, she surrendered herself to him. He pinned her to the wall behind her. His lips and tongue burned her, and let her know exactly how much he'd been withholding from her these months past.

This was a new side of her pet. And when he entered her, she almost passed out from the sheer pleasure of it.

He was as wild and untamed as a predator in the wild. The sound of his breath, punctuated by grunts of pleasure set fire to her soul. A laugh caught in her throat. Had she any idea he'd be like this, she would have given him this gift long ago.

Screaming out as her orgasm ripped through her, she dug her nails into his skin. But he didn't even pause as he delivered even deeper and harder strokes to her body. She wouldn't have thought it possible, but her pleasure increased as another orgasm exploded.

When he finally came, she was completely weak and sated. So much so that she realized she hadn't even fed from him.

Blessed Olympus, how could this be?

Effortlessly, Acheron swung her up in his arms and carried her back into her temple, to her bedroom.

"How can you even move after all that?" she asked breathlessly.

"Goddess, I could fly right now if you asked me to."

Laughing, Artemis lay weakly on her bed as her body still tingled from the memory of his.

Acheron lay beside her, then rained kisses over her lips and breasts.

She shook her head at him. "You are feisty this day."

Acheron paused at her words before he betrayed himself. He wasn't feisty. The truth was that her actions had made him fall in love with her all over again. He remembered now why he'd opened himself up to her. Artemis was kind when she chose to be.

If she didn't care for him, his wounds today wouldn't have mattered to her. Not even Estes had cared emotionally when he'd been harmed. Wounds only meant lost profits to him. But Artemis had been genuinely angry on his behalf.

He took her hand and led it to his lips so he could kiss the palm of her hand. "I am ever your servant, my goddess. I pledge myself to you forever."

She giggled. "My Acheron, you have no concept of forever."

"Then I pledge myself to you for the rest of my life."

She brushed the hair back from his face. "I accept that pledge . . . and that's the best one I've heard this day. Now come feed me. You've made me terribly hungry."

Acheron slid himself up her body and offered her his neck. At the twinge of pain, he remembered Styxx laying the brand over his skin.

Hissing, he pulled back instinctively. He felt his flesh tear as blood flowed freely from the wound. He tried to cover it, but the blood spurted between his fingers, coating them and staining the white linens under him.

Artemis sucked her breath in sharply as she realized what Acheron had done. His blood covered them both. She grabbed his neck and held him close while she healed the wound. He trembled against her.

"You should never do that, Acheron."

Now he'd be too weak for her. She bit back her anger. Normally she'd have punished him, but he'd been through enough. Cleaning him up, she laid him back against her bed to let him rest.

He tried to stay awake, but his eyes finally fluttered closed. Artemis stared at his naked beauty on her bed. His legs and arms were so long and graceful, so incredibly well formed. His stomach muscles were cut so deep that they looked chiseled. And as she remembered the way he'd made love to her, she grew hot all over again.

"You should always touch me like that."

If only he could hear her.

She reached to brush her hand through his hair and the instant her hand made contact, his hair turned jet black. She jerked back and watched as blue marbled itself over his skin.

Terrified, she scrambled from the bed. The number twenty-one wrote itself down his spine before the color faded and he returned to his normal state.

She frowned in confusion. Was this a reaction from her gift or her feeding from him? She'd never fed from a human before. Did they all do this?

Again she heard him whispering in Atlantean.

"It wasn't a happy anniversary. I want to come home now."

"Acheron?" She approached him slowly before she shook him awake.

He opened his eyes. Instead of silver, they were so black she couldn't even see the pupils. Then his eyes fluttered shut and he returned to sleep.

That was not normal. "What are you, Acheron?"

Every god power she possessed said he was human. But this wasn't typical of that species.

"Artemis!"

She jerked back and dressed herself as she heard Apollo's shout. Leaving Acheron to sleep in her bed, she materialized in the center of her greeting room where her brother stood with an angry sneer on his face.

"Is something wrong?"

"I. Need. Food."

She folded her arms over her chest. "Why are you so angry about it?"

"I wanted my human, but she's pregnant and can't suffer it."

"You have others."

"I don't want them." He grabbed her. The moment he did, he paused then smelled her hair. "You've been with a man?"

Her heart faltered. Unwilling to betray Acheron, she slapped Apollo's hand. "Why would you say such a thing?"

"There's a foreign scent on you. And it's masculine."

She rolled her eyes to cover the fear inside her. "I've been with humans all day, accepting their offerings. I must reek of their stench."

He fisted his hand in her hair. Artemis grimaced, finally understanding why Acheron found the gesture so offensive. Apollo wiped his finger behind her ear, then studied the digit. "Blood? Have you fed on another?"

She steeled herself and met his gaze levelly. "I didn't know when you'd be back and I was hungry."

His eyes sharpened. "Have you found yourself a male pet?"

She clawed at the hand he held in her hair. "You're my little brother, not my lover. Now release me or feel the full measure of my wrath."

He shoved her back. "You'd best remember who I am and who you are, sister." He curled his lip as if she suddenly disgusted him. "I'd rather feed from a servant."

Artemis didn't take another breath until he was gone. Her entire body was quaking from fear of his wrath.

The door to her room opened. She turned to see Acheron staring at her. He leaned against the door with one arm braced. The mixture of power and weakness was compelling. "I would fight him for you but for the dishonor you'd suffer."

Her heart was warmed by the thought. "You can never fight him, Acheron. You have no power to fight a god. He'd kill you and not blink." She closed the distance between them and wrapped her arm about his lean waist. "Come, my sweet. You need to rest."

But as she returned him to bed, the fear inside her built. Should Apollo ever learn about Acheron, no power on Olympus would be able to save his life.

August 25, 9528 BC

Acheron lay in his bed, missing Artemis. Holding her ring over his heart, he smiled at the memory of her last night. Over the past weeks she'd been so kind and giving to him. No one, not even his sister, had ever been more thoughtful.

Closing his eyes, he could see her running toward him in her garden, laughing. They spent hours hunting, in shooting practice or just lying together in her garden while he played for her and she read to him.

How he wished they could stay like that.

Unfortunately, she couldn't have the stain on her reputation and he understood it even though he hated it.

A knock sounded on his door.

Rolling over, he saw Ryssa push the door open. She closed the door carefully before rushing to him. She was amazingly agile given her distended stomach. "Are you coming?"

Now there was a question he wasn't used to hearing from his sister. "Where?"

"To Artemis's temple?"

Again, not a question he was used to hearing. "What are you talking about?"

"This is her feast day. There will be games and offerings in her temple all day long. Father's already sent his offering and is overseeing the others, but I thought you might be going too."

Not with his father. Was she insane? He'd been making it a point to avoid any contact whatsoever with him or Styxx.

Acheron shook his head. "I don't think I should."

She gaped at him. "Are you mad? Don't you think Artemis would be offended if someone close to her didn't show her his respect?"

Acheron frowned. Would she? Artemis could be temperamental that way.

I'll be in the temple all day, but I shall see you afterward. I wish I didn't have to wait so long to see you.

Could that have been a veiled invitation?

No, Artie was anything but subtle.

"I don't have an offering."

Ryssa shoved at his shoulder. "Make one of the heart. It won't matter to her what it is. But you have to show your appreciation of the gods, Acheron. It's unwise not to honor them, especially when one has been shown a degree of favoritism." She smiled at him. "Now get yourself dressed. I have to go and can't wait for you. But I'll watch for you at the temple-don't be long."

Acheron didn't move from bed until Ryssa had left him. He still wasn't sure this was the best idea. But so long as he kept his presence veiled, there shouldn't be any harm. He could just go, make an offering and leave.

No one, other than Artemis, would even know he'd been there. And if that would please her . . .

How could he not honor her on her feast day after all she'd given him? He wanted her to know how much he loved her. Wanted her to see that he was willing to risk his life for her.

The very thought of making her happy brought a smile to his face. Getting out of bed, he tried to think of what Artemis might enjoy. She liked to hear him play and she loved his body and blood. But those would make her angry should he make a public offering of them . . .

White rose petals-for her purity and grace. And pearls. The goddess loved pearls. She'd even taken him pearl diving.

That was it, it would make a perfect gift to show her how pure his love and admiration for her was.

He dressed quickly, then headed to the market to buy what he needed.

By noon, he was at her temple which was crowded with people. Nobles and officials had a separate entrance where their offerings were blessed by the priests. Even though he technically qualified, Acheron stayed in the common line. He didn't want to do anything to draw attention to himself or risk angering his father who sat on a throne just right of Artemis's statue, watching the people. Apollo, Styxx and Ryssa were with him.

Warily, Acheron kept glancing up, hoping to the gods that his father wouldn't see him. He would make his offering quickly and be gone.

No one would know.

Keeping his face covered, he handed his gifts to the priest so that he could place them on the altar.

"What is it you ask of the goddess, paidi?"

Acheron shook his head. "Nothing, papas. I only offer her my respect and love."

The priest nodded in approval before he took the small bowl of rose petals and pearls. As Acheron stepped away, someone in the crowd shoved him and he staggered into a woman holding a baby. She cried out as she lost her balance and her grip.

Acheron froze as he realized the baby would hit the floor unless he let go of his cloak to catch it. If he did that, he'd be exposed and as close as he was to his father, there was no way he'd escape notice.